ANSALS OF THL IIOYAL BOTANII; G.IRDEN, CALCTTTTA. [Q. FÜMICARÍUSMr.
liidloy oiontions also Borneo locality f o r D. veHiciUaris, b u t I have
n no specimen tlience.
PLATIC 6«.—Daemonorops vevticillaria M^.rt. TJppei' portion of the sheathed stem
w i t h the base of a spadix ; male spadix in flower ; branciilet with full grown flowers
i n bud ; outermost spathe ; portion of a leaf, from near its base (undersurface).
F r om ¡Scortechini's No. 125'' in Herb. Beccari.
PLATU 69.—Daemonorops verticillaris Mart. Upper portion of ieaf-sheath with
t h o lower portion o£ a full grown f r u i t i n g spadix and the base of a petiole ; two
e n t i r e seeds, and one in halves b n g i t u d i n a l l y cue tliroiigli the embryo. From
No. 638S in Herb. Calcutta. Upper end of female spadix with very young |fruits,
f r om No. 546 in Herb. Calcutta.
63. DAIÍMONOKOPS FORM:CÍKIÜS Beco. Nelle Foreste di Borneo IL902)
Ree. But. Surv. Ind. ii, 286.
DESCRIPTION.—Scandent, slender and at times very slender.
8 - 2 0 mm. in diameter. Leaf-sheaths non-gibbous above, obliquely truncate, and densely
bristly at the mouth, each furnished with several membranous spieuliferous collars,
of which two are usually paired, and are very large and broad; these latter are opposed,
i.e., the lower is tui-ned upwards, the upper downwards, thus interlacinii thoir spinos,
and forming complete and closed ant-harbouring galleries; the other unpaired collars
are smaller, horizontal or deflexed; the spiculae edging the membranous collars are
v e r y long, shining, black or spadiceoua, excessively slender and brittle. L'.avea rather
elongate, but very variable in size, according to the general dimensious of the plant
and terminating in a more or less elongate, at times rather short, slender cirrus •
petiole elongate, 35-:5ó cm. long, 4-5 mm. broad, somewhat flattened-biconvex, armed
at the base on the very obtuse edges, and frequently also on the under surface along
t h e centre, with a few 4-5 cm. long, straight, slender, light-coloured spreading
spines, and higher up with short prickles ; upper surface quite smooth • rachis
armed beneath with very small, solitary claws, which become teraate, but never very
robust, on the c i r r u s ; above, the rachis has the salient afigle narrowly furrowed
along its centre, the furrow being produced by the decurreut basis of the mid-costae
of the segments, which run parallel, and very close together, but do not unite on
t h e edge of tho salient angle ; leaflets numerous, equidistant, approximate (10-15 mm
apart), narrow, linear-lanceolate, the mediáis varying, according to the size of
t h e leaves from 15-27 cm. in length and from 10-15 mm. in width, very
t h i n l y papyracüous, green, slightly paler beneath, broadest below the middle, then
t a p e r i n g somewhat towards the base but gradually diminishing above to a veiy
acuminate and bristly tip, subtricostulate, i.e., their mid-costa is acute and
b r i s t l y near the apes, and one nerve on each side of it is slightly stronger
t h a n tho others but both are furnished with several blackish sub-bristly spinules ; underneath
the mid-costa alone is finely and rather closely b r i s t l y ; transverse veinlets not
v e r y numerous, tra' slucent, much interrupted, rather sharp OQ both s u r f a c e s ; margins
rather spreadingly ciliate-spinulous. Malt spadix Female spadL axillary
D. iomiearm'] BECGABI. THE SPECIJÍS OF DAEMONOROPS. J^J
in appearance, short, erect and rigid, 15-30 cm. long, including a short (about
5 cm. long), iflattened, smooth pcduncular part ; primary spathes deciduous (not
seen by me); flowering panicle short, loosely fhyrsoid, formed by 5-6 partial
inflorescences; secondary and tertiary spathes very small, scarious, very shortly
annular-amplectent, produced at one side into a finely subulate p o m t ; the partial
inflorescences sessile, small, the lower 4-7 cm. long, and with 3-5
distichous, gradually diminishing, spreading spikeleta on each side, the others
shorter and with fewer spikeleta; their axes more or less obsoletely angular
or sub-tetragonous; the lowest partial inflorescence is inserted just at the axilla of
t h e outermost spathe; spikelets erecto-patent, the lower 2-2'5 cm.
3 - 5 flowers on each side, the upper shorter and with fewer
long and with
small, scarious, very shortly annular-amplectent, produced at one side into a triangular,
finely subulate point; involucrophorum callous in the axilla, distinctly pedicelliform,
slightly flattened, 2-4 mm. long, rnther slender, somewhat broadening towards
its upper end where it is extended at one side into a broad, triangular acute
p o i n t ; involucre slightly protruding beyond the involucrophorum, and somewhat broader,
discoid with a narrow annular subcallous rim round a broad, flat circular scarareola
of the neuter flower depressed with a father con.spicuous scar. Fruitinrj perianth
very shortly and broadly obconical in the part corresponding to the tubular part of
t h e calyx; the corolla twice as long as the calyx, its segments spreading, narrow
lanceolate, finely striate. Fndl spherical, 14 mm. in diameter, very shortly and acutely
beaked; scales arranged in 15 longitudinal series, regular, rhomboidal, obtuse, not
deeply but very regularly narrowly grooved along the centre, dull and almost
pulverulent, of a chocolate-brown colour, with a narrow, sharply defined, lightercoloured
marginal band, the margins not or very obsoletely erosulate. Seed globular,
10 mm. in diameter, pitted on the surface; chalazal fovea very small, punctiform^
superficial in the centre of the raphal s i d e ; embryo almost basal.
HABITAT.—Borneo, on Mount Mattang near Kuching in Sarawak (P. B. Nos. 2552
and 1923, in Herb. Beccari). Malay name " R o t a n g Rappan». At Mattang it has
been found again recently by Eemtt.
OBSERVATIONS.—A very peculiar species, distinguished e
have the sheaths ornamented with critiigeroue collar.'« I
numerous equidistant approximate leaflets and by its small
f r u i t s , and by the short si)adice8 which have exactly as
t h e r e are partial inflorescences; whereas in such species the
second spathe bear no inflorescence at their axils, and the i
one or two internodes, forming additional peduncular pa.
but in D. formicarius such additional peduncular parts do
outermost, spathe encloses a partial inflorescence.
Tho presence of ants inside the galleries formed by the membranous pairs of
collars and among the long spiculae which radiate from their margin,?, is fully
attested, oven in Herbarium specimens, by the rubbish brought thither, and cemented
to t h e spiculae by those insects.
en amongst those which
Y its leaves with their
chocolate-brown spherical
many primary spathes as
outermost and often the
adices are furnished with
s inside the first spathe;
not exist for even the
ANK. HOY, BOT. GARD., CALCUTTA, VOL. S I L